Crews have fun waiting for wind on Sunday at the 5th Annual Culebra Heineken International Regatta.

Sixty-one boats - everything from a Santa Cruz 70 to a Hobie 16 - competed in the 5th annual Culebra Heineken International Regatta, held March 20-22, out of Puerto Rico's beautiful offshore island of Culebra. What's more, a record 73 dinghy sailors - kids skippering Optimists, Lasers and International 420s - participated in the 5th annual Culebra Heineken International Dinghy Regatta. The two tandem regattas combined drew record participation and drew some of the best adult and junior sailors in the Caribbean who reveled on this grand fiesta of highly competitive sailing.

Culebra Heineken International Regatta

In the Spinnaker A class, it was Chris Stanton from St. Croix who with his brothers and friends, drove their Melges 24, Devil 3, to a first in class by two points over St. Maarten's Fritz Bus, sailing his Melges 24, Coors Light. Stanton is a master of light air sailing and it showed in conditions that blew less than 10 knots the first and only day of sailing.

A 'smooth bottom', good crew and luck is how St. Thomas' John Foster sums up the secret to the success of his Kirby 25, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, in the Spinnaker B class. Fellow islander, Chris Thompson, helming his J/27, J-Walker wasn't far behind, and neither was Puerto Rico's Kike Gonzalez aboard his J/80, Otrakosa. The boats finished second and third in class, respectively.

Close competition in the Racer-Cruiser Class turned into a wide gap on the scoreboard when Sergio Sagramoso sailed his swift-sailing Beneteau First 44.7, Lazy Dog, on the wrong course in the second race of the regatta. Nikola Pears, who with partner, Jamie Dobbs, won the class aboard their J-122, Lost Horizon, says of the incident, "It's a bad way to loose. It's also a bad way to win."

The suspense lasted right up to awards time to see who won the Performance Cruiser Class. Winner, St. Croix's Jeff Fangman, sailing his Thomas 35, El Presidente, comments about his sparing on the seas with fellow islander, Tony Sanpere, who was driving his J-36, Cayennita Grande, "We were better upwind and he (Sanpere) beat us downwind. We'd catch him, and then he'd catch us, back and forth. It was close." Both boats finished with a 1st and 2nd in this two-race regatta. Fangman won the tiebreaker by winning the second and final race.

In the highly competitive J-24 Class, it was Puerto Rico's Pedro Quinones, aboard Bravisimo, who handily won. "We all raced Opti's together, then went off to college, and now we're back sailing together," says Quinones. Fellow islanders, Leo Lorig aboard Saudades, and Gilberto Rivera, helming Medalla Light, finished second and third, respectively, with only 1 point separating each boat.

Puerto Rico's Fraito Lugo aced the IC-24 Class, with a 1-point lead over the BVI's Colin Rathburn aboard Lime. "We'll be sailing the IC-24 the next two weekends (International Rolex Regatta and BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival), then will switch to J/24 in order to compete in the qualifiers for the Central American Caribbean (CAC) Games in 2010," says Lugo.

The CAC Games will be held in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

In the Jib & Main Class, it was Edwin Cruz's Hunter Legend 43, Nemesis, which won with a duo of bullets. "My boat sails best in light winds," says Cruz, who added that he sails with longtime crew who include his sons and friends.

Puerto Rico Olympic sailor, Enrique Figueroa, sailing his DRD-Suzuki, won the One Design Hobie 16 Class, while fellow islander, Jose Busquets, won the Beach Cat Class aboard his Cat-astrophe.

Culebra International Dinghy Regatta

The record junior sailor participation speaks well to the future of sailing in the Northern Caribbean.

Puerto Rico's Juan Carlos Franco Monllor won the Optimist overall fleet in competitive light air conditions. "I just kept going right all the time," says Monllor, who obviously made the 'right' decision.

In the Laser Radial Class, Puerto Rico's David Alfonso won handily, while fellow islander, Manuel Inserni, topped the Laser 4.7 Class.

The Culebra Heineken International Dinghy Regatta marked the first regatta in the Caribbean to host an International 420 Class. St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands' sailor, Alex Coyle and crew Jozsi Nemeth, won the four-boat class. The regatta was a qualifier for the Puerto Rican team selection to the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship in Brazil this summer. Raul Rios and crew, Antonio Sifre, won the selection.

The Culebra Heineken International Regatta is the second leg of the Cape Air Caribbean Ocean Racing Triangle (C.O.R.T.) Series, which began with the St. Croix International Regatta in February and concludes with the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival in April.

For full results, visit culebra.result.vg

© Copyright 2001/2002 caribbeanracing.com

Top of Page

A seriously dry dry-bag. Throw it in and swim ashore with it	Here's an excellent watch - proven as a startline winner in the BVI IC24 fleet.	Another must-have for small boat racing.	Gloves for the weekend warrior.